Monday, December 21, 2015

Great ride on cold hard semi frozen mud but no issues at 11psi. 30 degrees getting in 1.5 loops for 10.3 minutes n 1:10. Great tech work riding the rim with snow on the edges. Be back for a lot more of the close-by trail.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Muddy but still fast and smooth. More fat bikes than ever out too. 10.2 in 1:10 great temps to ride in almost 60 degrees in mid December. Loving the bike and the first spray car/bike wash of season. Ready for more of the winter season but this feels like spring.

Monday, December 7, 2015

14.87 mile in 1:30 and not a single leaf on the trail. Man, the trail grooming here is perfect. Motoring with 12psi front and 13psi back perfection (new gauge for fat tires) for rolling and grip in turns (some muddy too). Love the bike and the Bluto with the pillow tires. Even better now with FatBoy gone. Winter bike season is starting and I'll take a dry 37 degrees and sun every day.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Finally a windy day over Thanksgiving down in Florida here. Roy at Ace Performer hooks me up with 11m Switchblade and 165 Cabrinha Stylus. Perfect for 15-22 NE Sideshore for 2 sessions with the locals almost 4 hours. Great waves actually at point with current coming in. Fun day in the sun and no botties. Also got some kiting right in front of beach wedding. Everyone airing it up over the nuptials. Pretty funny.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Love it: Ti hard tail, Bluto, 1x10, dropper, and fat tires. Perfect setup for tight turns and leave coated trails at Novi. Great late afternoon loop while the sun sets. Tires set a little low at 11psi and fork at 70 - good for winter I think so I bumped it up to 15/100 halfway thru. Good 10 miles in 1 hour.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

30g40+++ West and gusty with everything from rain to sun. 50 degrees with a great 2-3' curling long swell. 7m Pivot was excellent after about hour getting used to it. 3 hours straight almost with maybe only 1 or 2 falls into water. Couple of big jumps and endless heelside slashing. Best part was cutting wave lips into the air with sending spray into the air and having it all blow over me! Excellent day so glad I got the 7! Got final 20 minutes in on Craigs SuperCross well powered with 4m. Topped off with great perch dinner at San Succi Bar. Woo fall has been great.

Friday, November 13, 2015

30-35/g45++ WSW fall gales worked great at Metro from 2:30-5. 3.7 perfectly powered with Craig on 4m on second sesh. Steepest waves I've seen at Metro with a couple 5-6' curling. Some great full planing port tack duck jibes on the wave faces way out. Dry and sweating inside after. Great WS session. Let's keep season going.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Fall leaves down and sun out great ride at Bloomer. Scattered 9.1miles all over park including new river section I discovered and must continue to explore. Motobecane is awesome with Bluto and 1x10 cannot be stopped. Love it.

Great day 20++ west day on Duke and 12m for first hour and then on to underpowered 9m Pivot. It worked because it's fast and the Duke has the float to get it going in holes. Fun fun day lots of smiles and while the sun set at 5:30 it picked back up for last hour into 20-30 west - Glory!

Monday, November 2, 2015

Great fall ride with leafs blown off trail at Addy. Fastest I have bombed the downhill sections with insane bike laid down in turns-never this much on 29er. Sun and 60 in shorts and 2 fun loops for 14.5 in 1:30. A lot on season left here if they keep it this clean.

Friday, October 30, 2015

Glad I drove to HI for this blow. 30-35 SW steady and solid winds with long curling swell in the shallows. Fun WS sesh on the 4.2 for 2 and 3.7 for 1. 4 hours on the gear and really with Keith, Mark, Craig and Jerry. Cold yes but drysuit was nearly dry and 6mm NP booties rule. I don't see this setup failing until there's ice! Great fall sailing ahead. Schoolhouse burgers with Jerry and Craig made this another worthy HI drive.

Monday, October 26, 2015

Gorgeous Sunday 1-3pm for 15.5 miles in 60 degree bluebird. Not a cloud in the sky and a slightly damp 100% leaf covered single track. Thinking it would be slick but fat 4.5's were amazing both up and in turns (had another high speeder where both tires slide controlled just like a snowboard).

More impressions: bike does not under steer like FatBoy, slacker geo is great in turns and off steep drops. Braking and fat tires is amazing you hardly ever lock up the tires even in slippery leaves - there's just so much traction. 1x10 is winner never going back, although I tried to ghost trigger the front derailleur a couple of times...

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Night Train Ti was rightly named after getting home in the dark after a cherry popping 20 mile ride to/around Bloomer. Bike arrived perfectly packed with tires fully inflated and bike tuned with no need for adjustment!! Super easy unpack and an hour later bars were on, rotor and front wheel install and seat and post. Next, pop 2 links off chain, remove front shifter assembly, install RaceFace 30t and were 1x10! Lastly put on the great Ergon GP-1 grips and my Candy 2 pedals. Awesome bike - gorgeous full polished titanium, flawless welds and medium was right call (thank god) and bonus geo was much slacker than FatBoy. Bluto fork finally.

1st Ride impressions:
-slacker ride than FB means back further and this descends awesome without endo factor FB seems to have with shorter wheelbase
-Bluto fork rocks!! 100mm seems to be enough but could go to 120 cartridge if needed. Night and day difference on roots, big bumps, log piles. Rock Shox has a winner here - better than Fox in feel. Rode FatBoy at Bloomer last week and would never go back.
-Guide RS brakes are incredible. Tektro hydraulic brakes on FB suck in comparison from day 1. No fade, silent, stops smooth and in control even braking while turning.
-4.5 tires are SMALL in comparison to huge 4.6 Specialized Ground Control. This is great size in dry summer season (GC felt too big sometimes) but must size up at minimum to 4.8-5 (Surly - $120+) if going in snow. Spech has got the winter tire size right.
-1X10 is awesome. First time really on it for long ride. 30t with Fatbike is right on. Really tight and quiet with zero chain slap. Gearing mentally keeps you shifting less and not playing with granny gears since even top ring isn't super spinny. I stood to climb more than ever but this bike climbs better than my 29er did. Rear cassette is shifting great and coast sound is super loud.
-Steers well which is common knock on fatties. Handled 5-6 tight turns easier than FB - the geo-slack helped here. Bars seem plenty wide but I like that.

*Only con is weight of bike at 35.7#. FatBoy at 32 and 29er was 30. Really felt weight on the flats and a little climbing, however downhill and coasting down seemed faster than FB... Have to get used to it as it is Fat and there's not not to lighten up without $$$$ carbon.

Last item is dropper KS eten and I think were perfect. Bring on winter!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Another great day at MetroBeach kiting on the 12m in winds that range from 15 to 30 from the south southwest. Great time on the Mako and a little time on the Duke. Great swell on the outside of the point and lots of rollers the play on. 4.5 hours on water. Can't believe the temperatures are still in the 60s in the water in the 50s! Got the first chance to try out the kite line camera mount and the results are promising - check it out. In the final hour got a chance to do a little bit of wind surfing on JB's gear as he was out on my kite ripping it up. We need more days like this.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Woo 3 day in row getting in 4 hours riding - now at HI. Dozen or so out for 12m to start for first 2 hours then boom - rocking 9m on new Pivot. Ripping the Duke all the way up to 6pm then final 1/2 hour on Mako. Great W 20-30++ with mostly cloudy 60 temps. Pivot showed good low end and sheeting thru a couple of lulls and holes. Great in nuke blasts. Shortened the bar ends and the kite turns super fast. I liked the turning as you don't have to follow the kite - you have to go with it or you will pay for it. Loved the west swell action perfection for carving and working the rails. Dinner with the gang at San Souci Bar was good end cap to not getting home until 10pm. Fun day and not a weed to be seen on the water.